It’s Going to be a Lot of Work Ignoring Two Blogs…

That’s Right, I’ve started another blog.  This new blog, should be a bit less demanding, as it is a Photo Blog that I call, PhotoBlogAbility.  PhotoBlogAbility, available at http://PhotoBlogAbility.wordpress.com, will feature images from my day to day as well as the dark reaches of my mind…  I’m still working out exactly what it will be, but the things I’m sure of are these: It won’t be very wordy and It will be honest.  Stay tuned, this could get interesting.

M~

http://PhotoBlogAbility.wordpress.com

I hope I die before this girl gets a job at a nursing home…

Below is videographic proof of the stupidity that lurks about the world causing an odd combination of pain and laughter for the more learned among us.  I don’t remember much more math than I use from day to day, but the thing about math is that logic goes a long damn way if you could just apply some.  This poor schlep will likely not sleep with this blonde again after not only filming, but posting this, and he’s trying to help her dispense some logic…  To no avail…

Wow…

My Daily Excitement

So, I take Goober for a a mile walk at about 3.5 MPH since we both need to trim down a bit and I forgot the bags.  I thought to go back, but, between the bags and us stood the small boy who sensed that I was only being kind when I said I would try to walk fast so we could come back and play catch with him…  Funny kid, He advised that he would be in the shower by then.  I said I was sorry, and wished him a good evening, to which he responded, “Yeah, a good evening in the shower, sure thing.”  I’m not sure who’s writing this kid’s material, but he’s good…

Could the kid be getting his stuff from a pro?

Much to my pleasure, the lawns were littered with bagged Crossroads papers courtesy of Gannett…  I’ve never been so happy to see a Gannrtt Newspaper in my life!  As we walked I scanned the yards looking for one at a house for sale or a week-old issue that wouldn’t be missed.  Finally, I spotted one!  I liberated the sopping wet paper from the bag and with bag in pocket, i deposited the paper in a nearby receptacle and we walked on.

We were just after the bag...

As we walked, Goober would go out the length of the lead, ceremoniously assume the tripod stance of male dogs the world over and leave his mark, so I thought nothing of him trotting over to the utility pole.

Ubiquitous the World over...

 

This pole seemed as any other; approach, get footing, raise right, rear leg…  Then it happened and I laughed out loud!  He lfted his tail and proceeded to fire missiles onto the adjacent pavement.  He was getting distance!

As if I don't have enough to worry about, he's now launching flying turds...

 

It was tough, but I collected myself and these putrid, butt-rockets, gave the dog a mild scolding for his choice of unconventional evacuation technique, 10 points for originality and hustled around the corner to the neatest curbside trash-can for a speedy disposal of the evidence…

"Ten!!! Ten!!! Ten!!!"

So that’s the excitement for today…  Stay tuned for more pop-culturey stuff from me and my friends real soon.  I’ve been working with some friends and there will soon be a new, shooting the breeze about pop-culture and the news of the world soon.  I’ll likely cross post it here and revise some of this page to help to promote it.  Let me know if there is a topic that you think would be interesting to here some open discussion on and we can try to do something with it…

Some Bat-Time, This Bat-Channel...

It really is, isn’t it???

I like quotes from famous people, especially when they seem really spectacular.  I don’t doubt that Charlie said that; I don’t doubt that he meant it; I’m not sure he knew how important it would seem or that it is so interesting in retrospect.  Frankly, none of that matters.  What matters is that it was said and has now been attributed to him.

Whoever said it, I think must have been right.  It’s all a gag.  The biggest gag of all being life.  We start out striving to grow older, most of us blow through the part where we are in any sort of “prime” to enjoy and make the most of it and ultimately we make asses of ourselves in an attempt to squeeze a little more in before we accept what time has dealt us and pine for youth…  If that isn’t the set-up for a dark punchline, I don’t know what is.

Since I like to laugh, I usually look toward comedy in some way.  This time, I draw on the wisdom of Monty Python’s Flying Circus.  In the troupe’s chronicle of a guy who was mistaken for Christ, “The Life of Brian,” the cast sings “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life,”  while crucified in the desert and left to die.  The basic message being that there is always a bit of good in everything.  I don’t take it quite that far, as some things just suck, but everything that has happened thus far has made me the man I am, and I can’t argue with that…

So there it is.  Go out today and live like it’s your last day and then sleep well and do it again tomorrow.  I do.

M~

Having ranted once today, I was all primed to be out in public…

I always feel like common sense and logic are rarely taken into account when policies and processes are devised.  Sure some things look great on paper.  Take for instance, Self-service Check-out.  At least half the time, it’s worth it, but there are generally just as many experiences like the one  I had today.

 

 

The only reason that a retail establishment does something: they do it to divert your attention whilst they reach into your pocket.  But the self check-out machine is expensive…  Right???  Sure, but it doesn’t eat and is not on the payroll!  So, Now that I figured out why the retailer wants the self-check, I just need to weigh the positives for me…  So, I don’t have to talk to cashier, okay; I can check-out quickly and go, super…  Or so you might think…  Those are the only 2 things I ask of the self-check-out transaction.  I agree to pay you just as much for the crap I’m buying by checking it myself as I would if one of the ever-so-pleasant cashiers you employ had done it and in exchange, I don’t have to speak to said cashier and I can hurry through as if I were saving based on a good check-out time.  This my friends, is not the case.  At BJ’s you must wait for every, individual item to run down the belt before scanning the next, So I got to wait for someone to notice the blinking light and reset the machine…  BAM!  Total deal-breaker…  Now I’m waitng and meeting your staff…  Big Time Fail…

When I accept something like this so you can put someone out of work, at least let me have the efficiency that I’m expecting!

 

M~

Saturday Snow and Why it Makes Facebook Suck More…

It’s bad enough that you have someone in your group of FaceBook connections that posts about every damned place they go and the 38 friends that joined them and the inane blather that they post upon achieving  inebriation, but let twelve or thirteen snowflakes hit the ground and everybody is all over DelDOT.  I don’t really understand what the problem is for folks…

 

DelDOT Snow Removal Equipment

I could understand a complaint about the Interstate or SR-1 Expressway if there were 4″ or more of accumulation and no effort expended, but this is less than 2″ of snow that won’t be here for long and DelDOT, based on the threat of impending snow spent much of yesterday systematically pre-treating arterials with salt brine.  Since this is a Saturday Snow-Event…  Saturday, has no defined rush-hour(s) and hence, no defined time that the snow must magically disappear…

 

Enter Facebook…  Everybody that had to go someplace, totally lost their shit and bitched about an insignificant coating of crystallized precipitation.  If accidents ensue after the snow begins to fall, let’s keep in mind that as much as DelDOT has a responsibility to dispatch plow crews to keep the roads PASSABLE, (clear is an unfair expectation) each and every one of us who venture out during the event have a responsibility to know the limitations of our vehicles that are caused or exacerbated by the snow and adjust or curb our driving accordingly.  I personally feel that this is just common sense, many feel that our government(s) should shield us from everything that requires personal responsibility to conquer.

 

 

Please return to the Facebook posts about the bars and the Hollywood stars and the food you ate and as much as I hate them, posts about your bathroom breaks…  (This happens, I’ve not only heard the legends, I’ve seen and don’t care to or need to see it again…)  While you’re at it try to keep in mind that this is Delaware, we get a few feet each year on average, and until its more than 2″, you should shut up and deal with it rather than act as if this is as foreign as snow in Southern Arizona…  Either learn to drive on snow or stay home…

2011 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 2,300 times in 2011. If it were a cable car, it would take about 38 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

Now that I am not distracted by the hustle and bustle of the holidays…

I want to get back to blogging at least occasionally, as it is my preferred way of maintaining a sustained presence on these tubes we call the interwebs.  In that vane, I’m back to share some more of my quirky BS with you all.

If you’ve been around the lab, you may have heard me mention one of my favorite Presidents, Ike.  Ike is oft credited with the Interstate Highway system as we know it.  Even in industrial trade publications that led up to the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Eisenhower Interstate Highway System, Ol’ Dwight gets the lion’s share of credit for the concept.

EisenHower's Highway System

This  isn’t to say that he wasn’t instrumental; and certainly not to take away from the story that he related of how he was impressed by the Autobahns he found in Germany as a Colonel and ultimately General, and how he thought that a similar system of highspeed, high-occupancy roadways could be of great advantage back home in the states.  He was not the only one with these thoughts of big, wide roads that could support military convoys and peacetime commerce; he was just in the right oval-shaped office at the right time.

This Link, will take you to a nifty artical that I recently found that enlightened me to some things that popular history has left out.  Always remember that History is only as good as the historian you get it from.  It is important to continue to look for the truth beyond the first telling of the story as history is oft romanticized as a means of making it more interesting or propping up a key-player as the singular hero.

Questionable Content

I’ll Be going now but as usual, I promise to be back soon with more crap for you to consider.

 

More Crap for Your Consideration

 

M~

Thankshaving, Thanksbeing, Thanksgiving…

I try to grow in some way everyday.  Unfortunately, many days I have to settle for growth along my waistline, but that comes with this getting older crap that we’re all putting up with, so i won’t bitch about that.  By “grow. ” I mean change for the better.  I try quite hard not to take things, not even the little things for granted.  It’s hard, but I get better at it everyday.  I’ve been fortunate in many ways that help me along in this self-imposed endeavor.  I’ve had life experiences to ponder including gains, losses and unique opportunities.  I work in highway traffic control and safety, an industry that is large, but small and close on the people side with a professional community in the State of Delaware that is quite amazing.  I have a great family, both in my ancestry and my own family, wife, step-children, dogs, cats and friends.  I’m thankful for all of these things, but there’s more.

I’m thankful that all of the things have aligned in my life as they have.  I’m thankful that the mistakes I’ve made haven’t been catastrophic and that I’ve not been gun-shy to make a seemingly impulsive choice that turned out to be the right one.  I’m thankful that I was able to latch onto the love of my life and had the good sense to hold on when everyone else thought I was losing my mind.

While I mourn the losses I’ve had, I’m grateful for them as well.  They’ve taught me the importance of living and the importance of being close to those who you love and letting them know why they are important in your life.  Moreover, the losses have forced me to focus on who I want to be in the limited scope of human existence.

Here’s to the people I’ve learned from and the things I’ve learned:

-Life can suck sometimes, wear a helmet.

-Give everyone a chance regardless of age, size or any attribute that might otherwise sway an opinion.  Most times you won’t be very surprised, but sometimes it’s striking and very much worth it.

-People screw up sometimes -OR- Mistakes, everybody gets one, if you’re smart, you’ll save it ’til you need it…

-Doing things for other people can be gratifying.  This is especially true when you can make a difference in a life, no matter how small.

-We all deserve some kind of happy; it’s our responsibility to find it, recognize it and keep it.

-Family is forever and you are bound to it forever, we all are, it’s the burden of not being a solitary species.  Learn to appreciate it all, even the stuff that is a pain in the ass.

-Friends are chosen.  Learn to choose wisely and keep the good ones.  Remember, potential friends tend to have families, remember those pains in the ass we just mentioned?  So there is no need to feel guilty about not choosing everyone you meet as a friend.

-Sometimes, family can turn out to be a great place to make friends, this is handy if you like your family like I do…

-Shit Happens…

-Every day on this side of the grass is a good one.  <– This one is BIG.  I still have to remind myself of that at least twice a week.

That’s not nearly all I’ve learned, but I think it covers some important points worth sharing on this made up holiday of food, family and fun that is a remnant of our past celebrations of harvest.  If anyone is interested, President Barry O. did, in his proclamation of Thanksgiving 2011, tie it back to the American Origin of Thanksgiving, a day of remembrance and thanks to those fighting and those who have fought on behalf of us all in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

SOPA, You shall not pass!

I’ve not been around for a bit, but this needs to be propagated…  Intellectual property needs protection but never at the expense of freedom of expression….